Social Event

Hot cookie friday was so fun and so worth it! I'm so glad I picked it for my social event this semester, because the cookies were delicious. I also got to meet some people that I had never met before, which was really nice. I unfortunately could not stay for the entire time because I had class, but I wanted to stay for as long as I could!
Next semester I want my social event to be an "Everyone's Birthday" Friday because I'm sure those are as fun as the hot cookie fridays.

Service-Learning Wrap Up

Now that I am through with Hand Middle School, I am so glad that I did it. It not only benefitted my mentee, but also me. I loved getting to know her; that was probably the best part about it. Each week she would open up more and more to me, and that was so heart-warming by the end of it.
I obviously found my time there very beneficial. Sometimes I was not always excited to go there, but once I got there I had a constant smile on my face. My girl was so easy to work with, so that is probably why I had such a great time.
I do no think I can continue next semester because I am getting a job, but hopefully I can start volunteering somewhere else and making a good use of my time like I did at Hand.

Personal Challenge

At first, I had a hard time deciding what my personal challenge was going to be for this semester. As i thought more and more about it, the farther I was from making a decision. Then, went I went home one weekend, something fell into my lap.

I went by my church to drop off something for a friend, and my youth minister stopped me and asked if I would mind sharing my college experience so far with the congregation one week during mass. I hesistated at first, because I really dislike public speaking, but then I realized that this could be my personal challenege. 

The next time I went home, I stood up before everyone at church on Sunday and made a short speech about the good and bad times I have had at USC so far. I was extremely nervous, but I got through it. Now I feel like I could speak in front of thousnads of people, where as before I had a hard time even standing up in a classroom and making a presentation. 

Capstone Conversation

This was my Capstone Conversation for the semester. It was a very informative seminar about the consequences and facts about underage drinking. It really had an impact on me because I truly did not know some of the statistics that they shared with us, such as one shot of liquor is equivalent to like, 2 beers! Some of the death rate figures they gave us too were very disturbing. This seminar definitely cautioned me and made me more aware of the choices I need to make while underage and partying.
I liked how they tied in the movie "The Hangover" with the seminar. It definitely got my attention more than just a 2 hour lecture. They would show clips of the movie, then pause it and relate it to an aspect of underage drinking. I definitely am glad I chose this to be my conversation for the semester.

The Hangover Seminar

This was my Capstone Conversation for the semester. It was a very informative seminar about the consequences and facts about underage drinking. It really had an impact on me because I truly did not know some of the statistics that they shared with us, such as one shot of liquor is equivalent to like, 2 beers! Some of the death rate figures they gave us too were very disturbing. This seminar definitely cautioned me and made me more aware of the choices I need to make while underage and partying.
I liked how they tied in the movie "The Hangover" with the seminar. It definitely got my attention more than just a 2 hour lecture. They would show clips of the movie, then pause it and relate it to an aspect of underage drinking. I definitely am glad I chose this to be my conversation for the semester.

Thanksgiving!

For this Thanksgiving I went to my cousin Flori's house. It was so much fun because my whole family was there! We managed, once again, to fit 22 people into a town house. It was so chaotic, but so much fun. It was so great seeing a bunch of familiar faces, and it made me miss my home even more! I'm so thankful for all of my family members and all we get to do together. It was so great seeing them!

Sustainability

My life is pretty sustainable in my opinion. I believe that sustainable means solid, put together, or "do-able". If this is true, then my life is definitely sustainable. I have most of my things put together as far as social aspects, academic aspects, and living aspects.
To me more sustainable, however, I could keep up with keeping my room clean more. It's not truly a priority in my life, but sometimes it stresses me out cause it gets so messy. Fortunately, it doesn't affect anyone besides me, because I have my own room, but still- I need to keep it together a little more than I have been this semester.

When I grow up...

For Thanksgiving I'm going up to D.C. because that is where all of my dad's family is. We have such a great time together and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! We always order our Thanksgiving dinner from Boston Market, ha ha. It's a bit ghetto, but I love it!
I actually always have wanted to be a Hotel Manager. Like I always have loved traveling and staying in hotels. It's also a great career match for me because I am definitely a customer service person. Interacting with people is something that I am very good at, so I still think I would excel in this field.
I think I'm actually going to do an internship next semester with Marriott Hotels. It's required for my major, and I cannot wait to get started!

Money Money!!

Overall, I'm pretty responsible when it comes to my finances. I don't always make the best decisions when spending my money, but I have never been in a tight money situation. I worked at a restaurant in 11th and 12th grade, so I would always budget when and where and how much money I would spend each month. Most of the time I stuck to my plan and it worked out, but sometimes I would over do it a little.
By the time I graduate, I want to be in a financial situation that can get me through any emergencies I might have. That's going to be a hard goal to accomplish, but I think I can do it. Since being in college, I have had to really watch where I spend my money cause it adds up so quickly! It's a tough responsibility, but it's just part of life.

STRESS!

A lot of things have been stressing me out recently. School, relationships, friendships, sorority stuff,....the list goes on and on. It was really great that Bert came in the day he did because I was soo stressed out. His exercises truly helped to calm me down and put me in a more relaxed mood.
I guess I will continue doing these small exercises as well as keeping a mental note to stay calm when I feel like I'm about to have a freakout.
I'm also glad Thanksgiving Break is around the corner, because I really need it right now! :)

Need more time!!!

I definitely have had a struggle with time management this semester. I guess I'm just not used to having all these hours in the day to do whatever i want to with them! It's definitely been a challenge, and I need to step it up next semester for sure.
I actually almost wish I had less time. When I have large chunks of time during the day, I usually waste them on pointless stuff while I should be productive. Procrastinating becomes a lot easier when more time is given to me.
I think I just need to set up a strict schedule for myself so that I make myself get stuff done, instead of putting it all off until the last minute.

Health

Honestly, I do not think I have been eating healthy since I got here. I do not really watch what I eat all the time, but I don't eat fast food at every meal. I definitely could take better care of my body than I do now though. I also do not really exercise because it is so hard to fit it into my schedule.
I have made so many great friends here so far. My roommates have become my best friends, and the girls in my sorority are the best support anyone could ask for. They always encourage me, listen to me, and support me in everything I do. I was worried at first about making close friends, but that definitely has not been an issue at all.

Religion

In my opinion, religion and spiritually are very different. Overall, religion is a structured thing where people of the same beliefs get together and display their affection for their faith. Spiritually is a much more independent thing in which each individual has his or her own specific belief system and way of showing it. 

Faith does tie into both of these things though, because without faith, there is no belief in a higher being, which is what spiritually and religion are essentially. One definitely needs faith in order to practice one or both of these practices.

Here in the south and especially USC, religion is dominate. Christianity is displayed everywhere, and there is basically a different church on every corner of Columbia. It is definitely a different type of culture that you have to get accustomed to in order to accept it if you do not already. 

Study Abroad

I am so interested in studying abroad. I really want to study in Germany for a year so I can become fluent in the language. Also, my best friend and boyfriend live in Germany, so being able to be with them for a long period of time would be so great, and USC makes that opportunity so easy to come by! It would be dumb to pass it up.
As far as the service site goes, I think my favorite part has been getting closer to my girl. She is so fun and has such a great personality. Being able to spend one on one time with her and be comfortable with her and her with me has been an awesome experience. I love going each week.

Leadership is an achievement in which someone is appointed to a position of authority within a certain group. They have responsibilities that the other members do not have, and they make an organization what it is today.
I was a leader in the marching band my senior year of high school. I was the head of the flute section, and my responsibilities included making sure everyone was doing their job and being accountable for all of the flutes and their actions. It was a great experience.
I truly want to get involved with the leadership options in my sorority. I think it would be very beneficial to me to get involved with that part of the organization. It seems like the leaders now have gotten a lot out of it.

Diversity

Before coming to USC, I classified diversity as being a term used to describe different kinds of people, but I thought it focused more on appearance and even race. I never thought about it being about like and dislikes, thoughts, opinions, etc.
My thoughts of the definition of diversity have definitely changed since I got to college. I now believe that diversity includes everything that is different about people; from clothes to choices to friends, and that's a good thing! We have a very diverse campus here at USC, and I think that's really healthy. It forces people to go out of their social bubble and interact with people who are very different from what they are used to. That makes college a little more like the real world in my opinion.
At my service site, my mentee is an African American. Hearing about her lifestyle and seeing how she lives has been really good for me, because I never had any kind of insight to her type of life. It has definitely been a learning experience for the both of us, and it has definitely had a positive impact on me!

Traditions!

I am not a native South Carolinian, so I haven't been able to take part in any true South Carolina traditions. I am not even sure if I know any of them honestly! I know a famous USC tradition is the annual Tiger Burn, and I am so excited about that! Also, I want to go to the state fair tonight, which technically could count as a tradition, right? :)
Some of my favorite family traditions include waking up super early on Christmas morning to open presents, going to Washington DC for Thanksgiving and hanging out with my cousins, and hiding each other's birthday presents around the house so we have to search for them.
Traditions are the best, I hope I can keep my favorite one's going even though I'm away from my family right now. That's why I really cannot wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

Next Semester Already?!

I am not able to attend class tomorrow, Wednesday the 13th, because my ride home is leaving early in the day. As much as I don't want to miss class, I want to be able to leave Columbia so I'm not stuck here alone even more!
I have already deeply started looking into classes for next semester. I have a feeling I am going to start getting extremely in depth with my major classes, which is very exciting in my opinion. In addition to the required Science and Psychology classes, I want to take the online hospitality course, retail course, and extra hotel management course. I just want to sign up now so I can get a good schedule!
As far as fall break goes, I am starting the week off in Athens to visit my best friend. We are going to the Ludacris concert tomorrow night and I seriously cannot wait any longer!! Then we are just hanging out Thursday and Friday, then going to the game on Saturday. On Saturday night, we are heading back to Roswell, my hometown, to say hey to our families and get some laundry done. Then we will be heading back to Columbia on Sunday afternoon! It's going to be a great week.

Service Site So Far...

My sessions have been going great with my girl, Latasha! She is so sweet, and each week we continue to connect. It is never awkward making conversation with her, and she is so happy to be receiving help from me. I've learned how to be more of a leader and role model just by going through these first sessions. At first, it was sort of stressful going through all of the mentoring policies and rules and making sure I did not break them, but now it is a lot of fun and not so strict and stressful.
I cannot wait to go back and see her tomorrow! We are decorating her locker with pictures of her favorite bands, and doing homework of course. :)
I have not had the opportunity to volunteer anywhere else yet, but I have done a lot of charity work through my sorority in the last few weeks, and it feels very beneficial. I'm loving all of this community service work!

Halfway Done!!

Wow...this semester has flown by! I cannot believe it is already halfway over. I have had such a blast already though.
My favorite memories are probably every night that my roommates and I hung out in our dorm late at night. We always joke about stupid stuff, and we have such a great time!
Sometimes I wish that I had gotten a little more involved with some of these clubs, but I am already doing so much with my sorority, so it is probably okay that I haven't been super crazy busy.
Most of my goals have remained the same. I really want to get at least a 3.5 GPA, but I have not kept up with how well I am doing right now. I probably should start doing extra studying and things for some of my classes so I can achieve this goal, but right now I don't think I'm doing too shabby.
So far, so good. USC is just great, and I'm having the time of my life here! I don't want this first semester to end at all, but I am excited to have a bit of a break next week. :)

School so Far....

All of my classes are going great. I really lucked out this semester with having an easy schedule. Finally I can see why taking all of those AP classes in high school was important!

My favorite class right now would probably have to be my Hospitality 101 class, simply because it is my major. Every time i walk into the room I am excited to learn more, and to hear what my awesome teacher has to say.

I have not tried to meet with my professors outside of the classroom yet, but I hope i can in the near future!!

Site Visit

I am so excited to get started with this mentoring program! Honestly, at first I was truly dreading it. I did not think I would be willing to get involved and consider it a fun experience. I thought it was just going to be another burden to add to my week, but I have already been mistaken.
When I visited the site a few days ago, I became inspired. The thing I am most interested in is meeting my kid. I really hope we have a lot in common, because I think if we did, that would be so much fun for both me and him. If we do not connect though, that might make this experience a bit sour. That is honestly the only thing I am worried about at this point. I just hope that no social issues or frustrating situations come up, because I want him to benefit from this opportunity.
I hope to gain a true friendship with my mentee as well as an understanding of the mentoring process. I hope to become a role model as well as a guide for this kid as he or she goes through the 6th grade, because that is a tough year to be going through all by yourself. I cant wait to get started!

Dr. Hickey!

I thought that Doctor Hickey's presentation to our class was great. He truly described the duties of a Capstone Scholar in great detail, and it really opened my eyes to what I need to accomplish this semester and year.
My experience so far has been great as well. I love being included in exclusive stuff going on on campus that I would not have known about if I was not a Capstone Scholar. It obviously opens up many more opportunities both academically and socially.
I honestly did not think my experience was going to be this time-consuming, but I mean that in a good way. I always find myself so busy with Capstone activities, sorority functions, and schoolwork. It has been so much fun to always be on-the-go, and time is flying by so fast! College is definitely not what I expected- it's way more fun!

GOALS :)

As far as a Student Engagement Plan goes, I will definitely strive to get all A's for my freshman semesters, join and stick with a club or an organization, and sky dive.
I personally think that joining a club and sticking with it will be the easiest goal of mine to achieve. It just takes a little bit of time and commitment, which shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. I just need to find something that I am interested in deeply enough to set aside a bit of my life for it, but it is really important to me that I get involved.
Earning all A's will definitely be the hardest goal for me to reach. I am just such a procrastinator, and that definitely will not allow me to receive A's these first two semesters. I am an intelligent person overall, but I definitely need to work on my organizing skills in order to live up to my full potential. So this goal is definitely reachable, but it will just take a little more work for me at this point in my academic life.
I seriously want to go sky diving. I have wanted to for so, so long, and USC is the perfect place to do it because we have that sky diving club. I just simply need to take the steps to get involved and in the club!

LASSI Results

I personally was really disappointed with my LASSI scores. I basically scored between the 0-50% range for everything except 3 items. Some of the ones I disagreed with the most were the one about motivation and understanding material. My results showed that I am not motivated to do well in school, which, in fact, is the exact opposite of my true attitude. The reason I am here is to do well in school, so I don't really get it honestly. The scores also showed that I cannot adequately understand material given to me in certain forms. Even if I do struggle at first with specific assignments, I always go over them until I get it. I don't really know, those two just really got under my skin for some reason.
I did agree with the fact that I have a hard time with time-management skills. For example, I have waited until the final night to do this blog assignment, ha ha. I just need to learn how to organize my studies in a better fashion than I did in high school, because I know my previous methods will not exactly cut it in college.

Sevice Learning

In my opinion, service learning is a weird way to put this type of experience. To me, it's simply volunteering to do something beneficial in your community. I have been involved in these type of activities...mainly through my church. We would always go to a Habitat for Humanity function, operation: christmas child event, or north fulton charities auctions.
My personal favorite was Operation: Christmas Child. What it would consist of was our youth group wrapping up small toys and sending them in fun packaging across the world to those young kids who never are used to getting holiday gifts. It was so fufilling in the end.
If I could chose to do any type of service learning project, I would definitely do anything related to children in need. I love the feeling of helping out kids in tough situations, from reading to just simply caring for them.

Labor Day Weekend

This Labor Day weekend was seriously so much fun!! I just pledged Kappa Delta, so we had a new member retreat to Myrtle Beach from Saturday until Monday. I really got to know my fellow pledge girls, and we had a great time relaxing on the beach. The water was surprisingly warm and clear blue!! 

Honestly, I wasn't too excited about going at first. All of my other friends were going to be at home and hanging out together, I felt like I was going to miss out on something, but I am so glad it worked out the way it did! :)

Getting to know the other girls really made me feel like a part of KD, and now I'm, like, obsessed with every single one of them. It was such a great weekend, and I cannot wait until the next function with all of those crazy girls. :)

USC always brags about how they have over 300 clubs and how there are so many opportunities to get involved, blah blah blah....but I didn't realize how true that was!! Seeing all of those organizations in one spot was so cool! Very overwhelming though. I had no idea where to begin my journey through the street, honestly, but i made it through and found some really sweet clubs that I am definitely considering joining. 

If I had to pick JUST two that I was interested in, I would definitely pick the sky diving club and white water rafting club.

Like I really have always wanted to go sky diving, and I know most teenagers say that, but I have wanted to do it since I was like ten. It's so cool that they actually offer that as a club though, cause I have never heard of that before!

The white water rafting club is a bit out of my comfort zone, just because I'm not very outdoors-y, which is why I want to do it! In college I believe that getting involved with something completely new is crucial, cause you figure out more about yourself. I'm so excited to just get started with all of this stuff. :)

Honestly, I think I'm too lazy to start my own club, but if i was motivated enough, I would definitely start some type of music club. I don't really know what we would do, but definitely hang out and play guitar or just listen to music and just chill with people who like the same music as you do. I think that would be so so fun!

So the club fair was an overall success in my opinion. I'm so glad I went and found out about all the things they offer at this awesome school!